France says safety of nationals on Gaza flotilla attacked by Israel 'priority'

​​​​​​​By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - France said Wednesday that the safety of its nationals aboard the Thousand Madleens flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip, attacked earlier in the day by Israeli forces, is its "priority."

"The safety of the participants, their right to consular protection and their rapid return to France are a priority for France," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux wrote on the US social media platform, X.

He noted that French nationals had been strongly advised against traveling to the region and unlike the Global Sumud Flotilla participants, not all aboard the Thousand Madleens had contacted the French Consulate General before departure. It, he said, complicated efforts to identify them and to liaise with their families.

Confavreux urged those detained to provide contact details to the Foreign Ministry's Crisis and Support Center or to the consulate in Tel Aviv. He said embassy and consular teams remain "fully mobilized" to provide consular protection as soon as possible.

France reiterated that its broader priorities in the region remain achieving a ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the large-scale entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The Israeli navy attacked ships of the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Coalition's Thousand Madleens to Gaza early Wednesday in international waters, roughly 120 nautical miles (138 miles) from the enclave.

The convoy set sail after Israeli naval forces attacked and seized more than 40 boats last week that were part of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, and detained over 450 activists on board. Most of them have been deported.

Israel, as the occupying power, has also previously attacked Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo and deported activists on board.​​​​​​​

It has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for nearly 18 years and tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable. Negotiations to end the war, according to a 20-point plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump, are underway in Egypt.